Shoe lasting machines



9, 966 R. G. AKERLEY SHOE LASTING MACHINES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept.3, 1965 Inventor Robe/t G'Ake/"ley By his Attorney Aug. 9, 1966 R. G.AKERL-EY 3,264,666

SHOE LASTING MACHINES Filed Sept. 5, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United StatesPatent 3,264,666 SHOE LASTING MACHINES Robert G. Akerley, Beverly,Mass., assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Boston, Mass-, acorporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 3, 1965, Ser. No. 484,836 Claims.(Cl. 12--12) This invention relates to machines for lasting shoes andmore particularly is directed to means for wrapping an upper over a shoelast. A typical lasting machine to which the invention may be applied isshown in United States Patent No. 3,226,746, granted January 4, 1966,upon application of G. J. Marquis et al. While the invention is hereinshown as directed to the lasting of the shank portion of a shoeconcurrently with the lasting of the forepart and ball portions of theshoe, it is to be understood that the invention is equally applicable toa machine adapted to operate on other portions of a shoe or on the shankportion of a shoe alone, or to be incorporated in a machine which alsooperates on the heel end of a shoe or any combination of the foregoing.

US. Patent No. 3,226,746 discloses a machine in which wipers arehingedly connected to the heel ends of ball wipers to wipe the shankportions of a shoe concurrently with the ball portions. While such anarrangement has given satisfactory results the connection between theball and shank wipers limits the style and type of shoe which can beefficiently operated upon. Accordingly, it is a general object of theinvention to provide means for lasting the shank areas of shoes withoutthe limitations inherent in predecessor devices.

According to one feature, the machine is provided at each side of theshoe with lasting means comprising a member having two legs betweenwhich extends a resilient band. The member is movable bodily widthwisetoward the area of the shoe to be lasted with one leg first pressing thehand against the upper adjacent the top line of the shoe to clamp theupper to the last for preventing subsequent bodily displacement of theupper. Continued widthwise movement thereafter causes the member to rockwidthwise about the first leg so the band wraps the upper firmly aroundthe last heightwise toward the shoe bottom and widthwise over the shoebottom. Final swinging movement of the member causes the other leg topress the band and upper heightwise against the shoe bottom.

A further feature provides for mounting the member on a moving means forboth the upper wrapping rocking movement and for a lengthwise swingingmovement so the member and band are accommodated to the generallengthwise contour of the shoe. According to a further aspect, means areprovided for adjusting the location of the member relative to the topline of the shoe.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a typical machine embodying the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially on line IIII'of FIG. 1;and

FIGS. 3 and 4 are similar to FIG. 2 and show the progressive positionsof parts during a lasting operation.

One preferred form "of the invention is shown as embodied in a machinefor lasting shoes of which a typical example thereof is disclosed insaid Marquis et al. patent. The machine is provided with a shoe rest(not shown) adapted to support the forepart of a shoe comprising anupper U and an insole I assembled on a last L. The machine is furtherprovided with gripper units (not shown) arranged to grip the upper atopposite sides of the forepart and also gripper units adapted to tensionthe upper at the ball and shank regions of the last. Relative heightwisemovement between the grippers and the Patented August 9, 1966 ICC shoesupport in any convenient manner acts to tension the upper for initialshaping and positioning on the last. At this point in the operation ofthe machine, the bottom of the last with an insole and upper assembledthereon is positioned in the same plane as a pair of forepart wipers 26(FIG. 1) which are advanced and closed to wipe the tensioned upperinwardly over the edge of the forepart of the insole. The upper surfaceof each forepart wiper has resting thereon the inner edge of a ballwiper 28 which curves heightwise toward the heel end of the, shoe fromthe plane of the forepart wiper so that a sub:

p stantially continuous surface is presented to the shoe bottom to wipethe upper over both the forepart and the ball portions of the shoebottom. A heel rest 30, which is similar in operation to that of theabove-mentioned patent, not only provides support for the shoe againstthe wiper advancing and closing forces but also acts as a gage whichuses the heel end of the shoe as a reference point relative to which theball wipers are spaced according to the size of shoe to be operatedupon.

Each ball wiper 28 is carried by an arm 88 fulcrumed at on a bracket 92so that the ball wiper may be swung inwardly to wipe the upper widthwiseover the shoe bottom at the ball region. The brackets 92 extend inwardlyfrom a pair of slides 94 mounted for movement lengthwise of the shoe inguideways 96 formed at opposite sides of the machine in a cover plate.Each slide is connected to one end of a flexible cable 114 which at itsother end is connected to the heel rest 30 in a manner described in saidMarquis et al. patent. Movement of the heel rest into engagement withthe heel end of the shoe acts to measure the shoe length and to impart aproportional movement to the slides 94 toward the toe end of the shoecausing the positions of the ball wipers 28 to be set in predeterminedpositions lengthwise of the shoe according to its size. As the forepartwipers 26 are advanced and closed widthwise to wipe the upper around theforepart, the ball wipers 28 are also swung widthwise to wipe the upperover the ball and shank regions of the shoe bottom. The mechanismdescribed up to this point forms no part of the present invention butserves merely to furnish a suitable setting for and describe oneparticular embodiment of the invention now to be described.

For lasting the shank portion of the shoe the machine is provided with apair of lasting units 32 carried on the ends of piston rods 34 extendingfrom fluid operated cylinders 36. Each cylinder is carried by a bracket38 having a spindle 40 rotatably mounted in lugs 42 upstanding from aplate 44 secured to and movable with vthe slide 94, By this means theunits 32 are movable bodily with the ball wipers 28 as they are adjustedupon movement of the slides 94 proportionally according to the sizemeasuring movement of the heel rest 30. The bracket 38 also has a lug 46(see also FIGS. 2-4) through which passes a threaded rod 48 pivoted atits lower end on a lug 50 depending from the plate 44. A spring 52 onthe rod and underlying the lug 46 swings the bracket 38 and hence alsothe cylinder 36 and lasting unit 32 heightwise about the spindle 40 to aposition determined by adjustable stop nuts 54 threaded on the upper endof rod 48 above the lug 46. By adjusting the stop nuts 54 at oppositesides of the shoe, the lasting units 32 may be independently adjustedheightwise to suit the shoe to be operated upon. Since the units areheld against the stop nuts by the springs 52 it is obvious that theunits are free to yield downwardly against the action of the springs fora purpose which will appear.

Each unit 32 comprises a resilient band 56 which extends over andbetween two legs 58, 59 of a member 60, the band being secured to thebracket by a clamp 66. The leg 58 is provided with a resilient pad 62underlying the band while the leg 59'is provided with a resilient pad'64initially adjacent the band and which will subsequently also underly'theband. The member 60 has an ear 68by which it is mounted on a. ball joint70 carried on a forked head 71 secured to the piston rod 34. As seen inFIG.

1, a resilient washer 72 is provided between the ear 68 and one side ofthe forked head. The unit 32 is thus-resiliently held centered in theforked head by the washer'as seen in FIG. 1, but is capable of swingingyieldingly lengthwise of the shoe aboutthe ball joint 70 upon engagementwith the side of the shoe. By this means, each unit 32 adjusts itself tothe lengthwise contour of the shoe'upon engage-v ment therewith.

In FIG. 2 both units 32 are shown in their initial position spacedwidthwise from the shoe. In addition to the stop nuts 54, theorientation of the units heightwise of the shoe is also controlled by aportion of the ear 68 engaging a stop 74 on the forked head 71, theweight of the. unit holding the ear against the stop. To commencelasting of the shank portion of the shoe, air is admit-ted to the outerends of the cylinders 36 thereby moving the units 32 widthwise until thebands 56 are pressed by the pads 62 against the upper adjacent the :topline of the shoe as This initial engagement of the band, as

seen in FIG. 3. firmlypressed by the pads 62,'acts to clamp the upper.

against the last and against body displacement heightwise V of the shoe.Continued wid-thwise movement of the units 32 cause them to rockwidthwise about the pads 62 from thepositions seen in FIG. 3 to thatseen in FIG..4 thereby causing the unsupported portions of the bands 56between the pads 62 and 64 to wrap the upper progressively around thelast andinwardly over the bottom of the shoe. During this rockingmovement the cylinders 36 also swing downwardly against the action ofthe spring 52.? As the units complete their rocking movements the pads64- press the bands and the upper heightwise firmly against the shoebottom.

It will be obvious from the foregoing that the lasting 1. In a shoelasting machine havingv means for lasting an upper of a shoe over a lastcomprising a member having two diverging legs, a resilient bandengageable with the shoe carried by the member and extending unsupportedbetween the legs, a pivot mounting the member for rockingmovementheightwise .of the shoe, means carrying the pivot for moving.the pivot and member bodilyl widthwisetoward the shoe for first causingone ofthe legs to press the hand against the :upper adjacent its topline for clampingtheupper against :the la'st to prevent bodilydisplacement, continued bodily movement of the memberthereafter: causingthe member to rock about said one legwidthwise and toward theshoe bottomwhereby the unsupported .portionof the .band ,wraps the upper heightwisearound the last and widthwise over the margin of the last bottom, .thefinal rocking movement of the membercausing the other leg to press theband and upper heightwise towardthe shoe bottom.

2. A machineaccording to claim 1 in which the memher is pivoted to the.moving means by a ball joint for the memberafter: the. band is firstclamped against the.

upper and last.

5. A machine according to claim 4 in which the moving means isyieldingly held heightwise of the shoe against anzadjustable stop whichdetermines the :location of the initial clamping action of the bandrelative to the top line of the upper. V

7 References Cited by the Examiner I UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,254,3699/l94lia Iorgensen" 12I8.l 2,368,849 2/1945 Lancaster; 12-8.1 2,655,67210/1953 Courchenes 12'8.1 3,082,449 3/1963 Bowler et; al. 12.-12

'FRANK J. COHEN; Primary Examinen PATRICK D. LAWSON; Examiner

1. IN A SHOE LASTING MACHINE HAVING MEANS FOR LASTING AN UPPER OF A SHOE OVER A LAST COMPRISING A MEMBER HAVING TWO DIVERGING LEGS, A RESILIENT BAND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE SHOE CARRIED BY THE MEMBER AND EXTENDING UNSUPPORTED BETWEEN THE LEGS, A PIVOT MOUNTING THE MEMBER FOR ROCKING MOVEMENT HEIGHTWISE OF THE SHOE, MEANS CARRYING THE PIVOT FOR MOVING THE PIVOT AND MEMBER BODILY WIDTHWISE TOWARD THE SHOE FOR FIRST CAUSING ONE OF THE LEGS TO PRESS THE BAND AGAINST THE UPPER ADJACENT ITS TOP LINE FOR CLAMPING THE UPPER AGAINST THE LAST TO PREVENT BODILY DISPLACEMENT, CONTINUED BODILY MOVEMENT OF THE MEMBER THEREAFTER CAUSING THE MEMBER TO ROCK ABOUT SAID ONE LEG WIDTHWISE AND TOWARD THE SHOE BOTTOM WHEREBY THE UNSUPPORTED PORTION OF THE BAND WRAPS THE UPPER HEIGHTWISE ROUND THE LAST AND WIDTHWISE OVER THE MARGIN OF THE LAST BOTTOM, THE FINAL ROCKING MOVEMENT OF THE MEMBER CAUSING THE OTHER LEG TO PRESS THE BAND AND UPPER HEIGHTWISE TOWARD THE SHOE BOTTOM. 